Time is of the Essence
by odalys-ortiz
Summary: Their relationship was on the rocks after Rikers. A life or death situation forces Joss and John to finally sit down together and have a long overdue conversation. Takes place after the finale but before the S3 pilot. Careese obviously because I can't do anything else.


Disclaimer: Doesn't not belong to me. If it did, this show would be breaking a rating of 4.0, not that sorry 1.7 they've been sitting on. You're lucky you got that deal POI and got the S4. Anyways enjoy the story and I hope that it brings you some joy.

* * *

Time is of the Essence

She had to bite her tongue to get through the pain as she fruitlessly pounded against the large metal door that imprisoned her. Joss considered what she was going to do in her current situation. Panicking like she was currently would limit her air supply, but she had to admit to herself that she was terrified. It was stupid of her to come to this house alone because now she was trapped inside an airtight room without her phone. No one knew she was there. She had been on her way home alone when the call came over the radio.

The robbery had been an unfortunate, but not rare occurrence, in the area so Joss thought that maybe she could handle it even though the nearest patrol car was about a half an hour from her position. Joss had underestimated the situation and was easily ambushed by the two larger men inside. She struggled with them, losing her phone during it before the thugs tossed her unceremoniously in the vault that they were pillaging. Apparently the owner of the home wasn't so trusting of banks and kept all of his valuables with him.

If Joss got out of here, she was going to have a few words for the guy about moving his things to a bank. That was only if she could find a way to get the damn door open.

* * *

"Joss! Joss!" John maneuvered passed the wreckage that was the living room. He had gotten a call a few minutes ago from Finch afraid that something seemed out of the ordinary with Carter. By tracing her phone, he noticed that she had been sitting still for the past forty five minutes in this home. Once John got through the front door, he saw what drew her here. He couldn't help but smile because Carter never seemed to be off duty.

His earwig chirped and he answered the call. _I do not understand the situation Mr. Reese. From what I can see, Detective Carter's phone is there but I am unable to give you the exact location._

"Try dialing her number Finch. With any luck, she didn't put it on vibrate." A few anxious seconds passed by before John made out the familiar ring tone. Using his trained hearing, he made out the sound coming from a pile of debris. Removing the plywood that looked to be from the living room wall, John's face fell as he found what he was looking for.

He picked it up, looking at the device wondering with concern where the owner could be. "Looks like she was here Finch but it looked like she fought with someone. Her phone must have been dropped. Are there any cameras that you can access to tell me where she went?" John had no idea what kind of trouble Joss had gotten herself into or if she was hurt. His adrenaline kicked in as he tried to focus on the task at hand to find her.

There was a small bit of typing in the background before Finch got back to him. _Mr. Reese, unfortunately it looks as though the owner didn't have a security system. I was only able to access the cameras from across the street. It looks like Detective Carter did enter the home but a few minutes later two men are seen exiting. It appears that she had not managed to get out herself. _

"Come on Finch, is there anything you can do, maybe try another camera that has a shot of the opened door. Joss wouldn't have been able to stand a chance if these two guys were prepared. You built a supercomputer that is able to spy on anyone in the world, there has to be a way you can find one person." John was running out of time.

* * *

Her breathing was getting shorter. Joss huddled against the wall, looking at the cold room again for any type of solution to her predicament. She wasn't holding her breath that anyone would find her at this rate. She had been stubborn enough to try to handle the situation alone. Joss reminded herself that things were different, that she had people that cared about her. The thoughts then turned to her vigilante.

Joss's chest was beginning to tighten up, making it harder to think. John would be able to take care of Taylor for her. He was a good man by nature and even if he wasn't there when she was gone, he would know exactly what she would want him to do. Her eyes began tearing up at the thought of not seeing her boy living the rest of his life. She wouldn't be there when he graduated, get married, have kids, all because she was so stubborn.

Even if Finch managed the trace her phone, the compartment where the vault was had been added later and was hidden behind a wall that only few people knew about. "Ugh" her head was beginning to swim. Her phone had been dropped during the struggle downstairs and it would take a bit of time to go through every room one by one. Joss's hand went up to her chest, as her vision got darker.

"John…" She didn't want to admit to herself that she was scared. Dying alone was one of her greatest fears, throughout the the war and during her job. The night when Bottlecap was ready to kill her, John had been the one to change all that. She had spent all that time searching for him to put him behind bars and yet despite that, he protected her. They had their ups and downs but John had always been there for her, even when she was in her bed unable to sleep at night. Images of him were able to put her at ease.

Her vision was blackening and she knew that her time was up.

* * *

John was going absolutely mad searching the house. But not getting anywhere. "Finch, I've checked most of the rooms but I'm can't find Joss." He tried to keep the panic out of his voice as he spoke to his employer. Ten minutes have passed since he had arrived on the scene.

The sounds of frantic tapping greeted his ears. _I'm sorry Mr. Reese, I have gone over the schematics of the property multiple times but I can't…_

"Don't call me unless you can give me something I can use Finch!" He yelled into the earwig before disconnecting the call. John immediately regretted the way he was acting. John understood that Finch was only trying to help the best that he could with the limited resources that he had, but Joss could be running out of time. She may in fact be hurt, and here he was racking his brains trying to figure out where she could possibly be.

The buzzing of his earwig drew his attention and John patched the call through. "Please tell me you have something Finch." He was greeted with silence for a few seconds. John's face scrunched up in confusion but before he could check to see who he connected with, a familiar voice spoke.

_Can…you…hear…me? _The distorted program greeted John as it had before.

This frustrated John, who wasn't in the mood to waste time. "As much as I enjoy having these chats, I really don't have time to waste with you. How about you go have a talk with your creator since I'm not your admin anymore" he pointed out bitterly.

Just as John was about to end the call with Finch's rogue Machine, it spoke to him again. _Asset…Joss…Carter…detected…upstairs…15…inches…to…the…right _John swallowed hard at what he had just heard. He didn't have time to ask questions, instead he followed the omnipotent being's instructions.

Getting to the top of the railing, he found the room that the Machine directed him to, remembering that he had already checked everywhere. "She's not here. I already checked." He argued.

_Back…wall…5…inches _Heading back into the room, John did another sweep, this time taking a closer look at the wall. In his haste to find Joss, he cursed himself for not noticing the slight difference in the wallpaper. Examining closer, he made out a door but there was nothing he could grab onto and pry it open.

"Joss, are you in there!?" John's ears were greeted with only silence. "Joss please answer me!"

_Keypad…left…table…code…5371… _were his next set of instruction. Despite the clutter from the supposed robbery, John spotted a lone table still upright. Pulling open the drawer, he discovered a digital keypad laying face up. He didn't hesitate to put in the numbers. As soon as he did it, John turned back to the wall and saw the edge of the door pushing out.

Hearing the air rushing out, he realized that the room was heavily sealed. "Oh god, Joss!" Pulling the door open, he was greeted with a treasure trove of a valuables that most likely belonged to the owner. Right now however, John's only concern was something that was most precious to him, something that you can't buy for any amount. Something out of place caught his eye, causing him to look over. That's where John found her, against the wall with her head bowed.

He rushed over to her side, unable to tell what was wrong with her. "Joss…" He asked tenderly as took her head in his hands to face him. John's heart dropped as he was soon aware of the fact that she wasn't breathing. He reached for her hand, hoping to find some sort of pulse. Her body was completely still and the bile began to rise in his throat as his worst fears seemed to have come to pass. Before he lost hope however, the voice was there to guide him before he would make a mistake.

_Perform…CPR…_

Removing his jacket to use as a makeshift pillow, he laid Joss flat on the floor. John tried not to think about anything other than the task at hand. Joss was wearing a dark blue button down blouse so it help with what John had to do. As he reached over and loosened her shirt, John cause a glimpse of her black bra which quickly raised his blood pressure. He shook his head to push the images away because she was running out of time.

With the first three buttons undone, John pushed the shirt open. He took his right hand and placed it over her heart, with assistance from his left placed on top before beginning to push down. In his mind, he counted to ten loudly as per procedure. Once he finished, John moved up to Joss's face. His hand took a moment to brush a stray strand of her dark, thick hair before he used it to then pinch her nose. Using the other to open her mouth slightly, he fused their lips together and hopefully breathed some semblance of life back into her. In the back of his mind, John found himself thinking back to how often he would fantasize how her lips tasted, and, even though this wasn't really the time for that, he noticed just how sweet she tasted.

John pushed the air back into her lungs three times. Before going back to her chest, he stared at Joss's face to see if there was any change. His disappointment in the lack of movement from her needed to wait as he went about repeating the first step once again.

The Machine, Finch's child, had managed to help him find Joss when no one else knew where she was. The room wasn't in the floor plans as Finch told him earlier. The secret compartment was almost invisible to the naked eye and even with all his training, he had missed it in his haste to find her.

That was one of the things Joss did to him. Whenever he even thought about her, she would always cause him to forget the kind of man he used to be for someone that wasn't a trained killer. Joss saw him as something better, even with his dark past. Even though he shouldn't have these thoughts, John had grown to care about her far more than just the friend she had become. He didn't want to lose her because he had been such a fool. Joss had risked everything to save him after he had been incarcerated at Rikers and in response he pushed her away. That's why John began talking to her again and the two of them began to fall back into the familiar norm that was whatever this was before he had been arrested.

Time seemed to tick by slowly, as if mocking his efforts as he tried for the fifth time to breathe into Joss's mouth. Her condition didn't seem to change and he began to embrace his worst fears that maybe he had been too late for her again. Her lips were still warm at his touch however, encouraging him to keep trying, as futile as it might be. John didn't even stop to let Finch know the situation, understanding that time was of the essence here.

His hot breath entered her body again but John had been so distracted with performing the steps, that he was surprised at the sudden intake of air that momentarily pulled his tongue into the warm recesses of her mouth. He pulled away quickly and held on to her as Joss's body trembled at the coughing fit that she was fighting through. His pounding heart began to slow down once Joss's body stilled. Her eyes were still closed but from what John could tell, she would be fine.

The fingers of his right hand wiped away the hair that stuck to her forehead thanks to the sweat. John then made a call to Finch. _Mr. Reese, I've been unable to find anything new. Have you made any progress?_ It seemed like Harold wasn't affected by John's earlier actions, understanding wholeheartedly what was at stake.

"Yeah, I managed to find her. Your Machine somehow knew that she was looked in an airtight room upstairs. She'll be fine but I'm going to get her out of here before more unexpected visitors show up." His arms positioned themselves under her neck and knees before standing up, pulling Joss close to his chest.

_I don't understand, I wasn't contacted by the Machine. It seems like it really has decided to think for itself. Well regardless, I'm glad that it was able to help you save the Detective. I will contact you with an update on the suspects. I was able to catch their profiles and send the images to Detective Fusco._

"Alright Finch, thanks." John was out the door in a matter of seconds, the gaze of the nearby camera following his movements while he loaded Joss into the passenger seat of his "borrowed" car before hopping into the driver's seat and heading out. A few minutes later, the police had arrived on the scene and began to process the area.

* * *

Her eyes snapped opened before she sat up abruptly. Joss had no idea what was going on, for now her brain was choosing only to remember bits and pieces. Before she had a chance to process anything, she felt something warm on her shoulders. "Hey, take it easy Carter."

Still reeling from her ordeal, her eyes finally focused on the voice, realizing that it was none other than John Reese at her side. Joss groaned a bit, relieved to at least be in the presence of a she remembered her predicament back at the house. "What happened?" Joss then took a slow look around the spacious loft. She was sitting on a very large bed with a thick comforter now laying near her waist. "Where am I?"

"It's alright." John hadn't expected the sudden recovery but he was glad that she was awake. He wasn't surprised that she was quick to turn into the cop and start with the questions. "Do you remember what happened before you blacked out?"

Joss sat up a bit more before pressing her back against the headboard. She put a hand over her eyes as she recalled the night's events. "Yeah, I heard a call from dispatch that there was a robbery in progress and I was in the area. Thought that maybe I could get the guys by myself since by the time back up arrived, they would have been long gone."

"So you just thought that you would do things alone again? I don't get you Joss." John had slipped, using her first name in front of her. She looked at him with a questioning gaze. "You still hate me for the last few months, I get that, but did you have to put yourself in a situation like that?" he demanded.

Joss completely pulled the covers away from her as she slipped her legs over to the edge. "It wasn't like that John, really. I didn't think anything of it until I got into a fight and lost my damn phone. I would have called you if I thought I couldn't handle it I swear."

"So is that why I found you not breathing in the damn death trap of a safe upstairs?" John couldn't stop the anger from seeping into his voice.

Joss's expression had changed to that of realization. She remembered how bad her situation was, she had been on the brink of death, Joss just couldn't believe that she got through it all, once again thanks to her vigilante. "Oh that…" She took a deep breath. "I am glad that you made it when you did. How did you? The place wasn't easy to find." John's silence answered her questions. "Your reliable source huh? Well whoever it was, give them my thanks."

"I will." John would be sure to ask Finch what had caused the machine to contact him outside of its usual job of giving Finch those numbers. He would do that tomorrow, right now he watched as Joss soaked in her surroundings for the first time, smirking as she gave an impressive whistle.

"So is this another one of Finch's fancy safehouses? He really does go all out just to make someone comfortable." Joss shifted closer to the edge of the bed, feeling her bare feet touching the hardwood floor, which was surprisingly warm despite the season.

John took a second to look her over, making sure that she wasn't pushing herself too soon. Prior to putting her in bed, he had taken off her boots and socks then placed it against the the bed. He had actually brought her to the loft that Finch had graciously given him two years ago since it was closer than any other available places to hide out. John decided to leave that bit of information out, not wanting to freak her out with the truth. "That's just like Finch." He added to the earlier statement, noticing how long his silence was.

Joss's shifted her weight a bit, lifting her hands above her to stretch out her back. After a few seconds, she lowered them and let out a groan. "Ugh, how long was I out for?"

"Not long." John responded quickly.

As she looked down, Joss noticed that her hands were cleaned and wrapped with thin bandages. "Thanks for taking care of this. I should get going. You probably got better things to do than watch me snore like a bear." It took a moment before John chuckled in which she joined in.

"Not at all, do you want something to eat or drink before you go?" John returned her shoes to her which she promptly put on to the best of her abilities. Joss managed to slip her feet inside but as she reached over to grab the laces, she winced slightly. The banging against the door must have done a bigger number on her hands then she thought.

After a few attempts, Joss threw her hands up in the air. Squeezing her fingers didn't allow her to tie up the shoes. "Do you think you could help a girl out here?" She asked, pushing her feet towards John.

"That's a story to tell Carter" he began. "Someone who served multiple tours in Iraq can't tie a simple knot." John smiled as Joss looked back at him irritated.

"Just shut up and tie them up." She wiggled her foot at him.

"What's the magic word?" The eyebrows waggled tauntingly at her, bringing Joss's blood to a boil.

"Now!" She hissed through her teeth.

He did as he was ordered, being sure not to tie the laces too tight. "So do you want to let me in on the real reason why you did something so stupid without any back up?" John didn't know if it was a good idea to ask but for as long as he had known her, Joss was a person who would think things through before acting. Tonight was out of character for her and it almost killed her in the process.

Their relationship wasn't exactly in good standings especially after a few weeks ago, she called to ask for his help with Fusco and he blatantly refused. After the situation with Finch and Root, John learned that Joss was in the process of being demoted due to a fatal shooting of a suspect. Even during their call while he was riding with Shaw, she never mentioned the situation to him.

Joss pulled her other foot away from his lap, putting it flat on the floor where she looked down. "I guess I was angry. The papers for my move to the patrol unit are going to get processed at the end of the week." Her hands now sat on her knees, thumping her fingers a bit with the anxious energy that was building. It was confusing at how hard yet how easy it was for her to be sitting here with him, telling him what was really going on in her life. Despite her anger towards John, Joss understood that this wasn't his fault. HR was more than likely behind the mysterious disappearance of the weapon at the scene of the shooting. She sure as hell felt lonely in the last couple of weeks, even though she would drop dead rather than admit it to him.

The exasperated breath Joss let out was followed by her throwing her upper body back against the bed before covering her eyes with her left hand. "HR has successfully made my life quite difficult" she expressed bitterly.

"How's Taylor handling this?" John understood that she had quite a bit to take on, not only as an authority figure but as a single mother as well.

Her voiced softened a bit at the mention of her only child. "He's getting by. Taylor's got exams coming up that he's been studying for. He's been wondering what's been going on with me but I haven't told him the truth yet, saying that things have just got hectic." Joss let one eye slide from under her hand to gauge his reaction at the next thing she said. "He's been asking for you, wondering where you went for the last couple of weeks."

John was now the one to feel anxious under the scrutiny of her large brown eyes. He wasn't sure if it would do him any good to try and justify what he did but decided to try anyway. "Things changed between us Joss, that night when you found me at the DOD facility." This time, it wasn't a mistake, her name leaving his lips to allow her to understand that he wasn't joking or playing games. "You were going to risk your life for me without even thinking of your son until I said something. My past caught up to me and almost did the one thing that I feared the most." John let out a huge sigh before continuing. "I thought that I should just stay away from you, to protect you. That's not the answer you want to hear but it's the truth."

Her body eased back up to a sitting position as Joss eyed him a bit. "You've always told me the truth, even if it meant you would hurt me, huh?" His reasoning eased her anger a bit but it wasn't gone completely, not yet. "Even so, I wasn't the only one that needed help. Fusco was close to losing his job and going to jail because of HR. He told me a while ago how you asked him to go undercover for you. Lionel is risking his life all the time with what he's doing. He has a kid too John, or did you forget that?" Joss's words were sharp but she had to let him know the truth.

"Apologizing wouldn't be enough for you both." Her eyes widened a bit, and John fought back a smile. Even after all this time, he still relished surprising her every now and then. "I do know that I did a terrible thing by acting like I could just separate myself and treat the two of you like you were nothing but assets. I know now that was impossible because as much as he annoys me, Fusco's become a friend to me."

Joss couldn't help but giggle at his description. It felt good to laugh with him again, it was even better just to be here with him. "Hey, then what does that make me, chopped liver?" She was just mocking him now, feeling a bit better that had reached an understanding over what happened between them.

"You are someone that I don't want to abandon like that ever again." Being ever so blunt with his words, Joss's mouth went dry and her throat suddenly felt tight with an invisible ball blocking her airway.

The way he said those words to her, his piercing blue eyes were looking right at her as he spoke. She wasn't the type of woman to react like a giddy school girl over her high school crush, but John wasn't a normal kind of guy. Maybe that's what she found most attractive about him, the fact that he complimented her in more ways than most people would be able to. Their career choice didn't help things, but she enjoyed the ride so far. Now with him sitting in front of her, Joss was all choked up because she knew that she was getting him back.

Finally getting rid of that damn lump, she began speaking again while hoping to sound normal. "Well I'm glad to hear it. Second thing you can do is make it up to me is buy me coffee tomorrow."

John looked quizzically at her. "What was the first thing?" Joss raised up her injured hands within view to answer his questions. "Ah, right. I'm happy to help. That won't be the last time, I can assure you."

Even though Joss knew that was the truth, it seemed like John was saying it to reassure himself. It was as if he wasn't sure he could keep his own promises anymore, and that was out of character for him. "I know it won't be John." She offered a small smile that he returned. "As much as I enjoyed our talk, I should probably get going." As much as she didn't want to, Joss knew that she had to get back for Taylor. She was going to give him a huge hug when she got home.

"Alright" John said simply. As Joss went to stand up, he was already off to what looked like the kitchen area. A few seconds went by before he returned to her with some familiar items in hand. Putting them on the side table, he held out her jacket that she slipped into easily. Joss expressed her gratitude once again. John was enjoying the bit of jasmine scent that wafted into his nostrils. She then got her gun and badge and made her way to the door with John close behind her.

Joss turned around just as she touched the handle. "Now don't forget that you owe me that coffee tomorrow."

"I'll know you'll hold me to it. Are you sure you don't want me to call a cab for you. Then you can stay warm while you wait." It was quite a surprise to himself that John had offered her the invitation. The weather wasn't in any state that would give her a reason to stay.

She shook her head, just as he suspected Joss would "As much as I would love to chat some more, I should get out of your hair. Maybe some other time at my place and not a safe house. Take care of yourself John."

Joss pulled the handle to exit as John fought the urge to tell her the truth. He followed her out and watched as she walked to the staircase. "You take care too Carter and don't try anything crazy." She waved dismissively, acknowledging his advice before heading down. John walked back inside, locking the door behind him. He dropped back on the couch, feeling as if a burden had been lifted because they had taken the first of many steps to patching their friendship.

John let his eyes fall, making a note to invite her to his apartment when she wouldn't push him away. Right now, he would let her continue to think that she had stayed in a safe house just to be safe. For now, he would rest up, readying for tomorrow when he would get her the coffee he owed her.

* * *

A/N: I want to thank SWWoman for the beta. Don't worry, I've got a few more to keep you busy. Sorry to anyone that follows me and not seen anything in a month. I promise that was not intentional and I hope you enjoy what I've presented here.


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